Pensioner carried foetus for 35 years

Our pick of the strange stories from around the world.

Pensioner's foetus shock

A 73-year-old woman has been carrying an unborn foetus inside her body for 35 years. The foetus, which had calcified, was found outside the woman's womb after she complained of stomach pain and was sent for a routine scan in Skikda, Algeria. It weighed 4.4lbs and had died seven months into its prenatal development.

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Woman wins $1m 'teaching husband a lesson'

A woman has struck it rich while trying to teach her husband a lesson about the odds of winning the lottery. Glenda Blackwell, 57, of North Carolina, bought a scratchcard to prove to her husband he was wasting his money buying lottery tickets. However, the card revealed a $1m (£817,500) prize. "I had to eat my words, but they were worth eating," she said.

Child's 'pirate treasure' contains £250,000 booty

A rare Queen Anne Vigo five guinea piece has been found among a collection of old coins being used as a child's "pirate treasure". The boy's father, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the coin had been a gift from his grandfather. It is one of just 20 coins of its type from a Spanish treasure ship and is expected to fetch more than £250,000 at auction.